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And even as she tried to revive him with CPR, the dogs came charging back out of the woods and she had to back away until the dogs retreated.

Sytsma's last moments, and the fear that had been building in the community for several months as the dogs ran loose, are documented in lengthy police reports and witness statements obtained by the Detroit Free Press under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

Two neighbors were bitten in the months leading up to the killing and some began to arm themselves with guns.

A history of allegedly allowing two aggressive 100-pound dogs to run loose resulted in second-degree murder charges for a Michigan couple after a jogger reportedly was killed by the dogs last month.

If convicted, Valbona Lucaj, 44, and Sebastiano Quagliata, 45, could get as much as life in prison. The couple also face a charge of harboring a dangerous animal, resulting in death, in the Lapeer County case. That felony charge carries as much as 15 years upon conviction...

At last report, the defendants were being held in lieu of $500,000 bail. The dogs involved in the attack have been put down.

Why on earth were these dogs roaming free after previously having bitten two other people? Definitely a fail on the part of the owners - I hope they're prosecuted and sent away for a long time. But with previous bites and other calls about the dogs, why didn't authorities do anything earlier?

Oh how horribly sad. I won't take my dogs for a walk alone for fear a dog is on the loose. Last time I took one of my dogs out alone a dog actually jumped over a fence to come after us. My screams brought the owner out of their house.

Oh how horribly sad. I won't take my dogs for a walk alone for fear a dog is on the loose. Last time I took one of my dogs out alone a dog actually jumped over a fence to come after us. My screams brought the owner out of their house.

I won't go alone with my dog anymore either, since my dog was attacked by 2 huge malamutes and nearly killed in front of me a few months ago...

I'm an avid cyclist and dogs are one of my biggest fears - I am terrified of being overtaken by one because you're absolutely defenseless. this poor man had no chance against this attack and he died in such an awful way.....geez this scares the cr@p out of me.

The couple is ordered to stand trial. Sebastiano Quagliata and his wife, Valbona Lucaj, were ordered to remain jailed on $500,000 bonds. Their arraignments are scheduled Sept. 22 on second-degree murder and other charges.

It is really pathetic that neighbors had to arm themselves b/c these people wouldn't do anything and neither would the police. Living in fear for months over dogs...I can't even imagine. I wonder why "an unknown individual" did not take out those dogs before this happened, although these owners would probably have new ones the next day.

MI - 'I'm Dying,' Jogger Gasped After Dog Attack

They were breeding them? Seven puppies were removed and given to a rescue.
Shaking my head....so senseless...so sad and so tragic!

From link in first post

In the days leading up to his arrest, Quagliata remained concerned about his dogs and contacted Lapeer Animal Control to make sure that Toni, one of the dogs involved in the fatal attack, was getting adequate care for his gunshot wound.

Officials told his attorney that the dog was scheduled for euthanasia and that any medical treatment would have to be paid for by Quagliata.

The dogs since have been put down. Seven puppies seized from the home have been sent to a rescue league in Texas.

This is such a senseless and preventable death. In my family, there are many serious cyclist. My SIL considers it a power lunch when he cycles 10 miles around the big city and stops for a Smoothie before returning to his work as an architect. My priest and his buddies take ministry trips for hundreds of miles each summer.

Strap a can of mace to your bike. I keep a can of Raid in my car that sprays up to 15' which is much further than mace can go. Not sure Raid is legal to spray in someone's face but it can be washed out of their eyes.

Craig Sytsma's loss of life has brought tears. A Cane Corso is "noble, majestic, and powerful in presence". The Cane Corso is a muscular and large-boned breed that can weigh up to 120 pounds. They are also trained to be guard dogs. Sounds viscous to me.

Mr. Sytsma did not stand a chance against this beast of a dog. JSYK, my daughter has a gorgeous Great Pyrenees who weighs 120 pounds and thinks she is a lap dog. She possesses the most elegant bark. I can't imagine being attacked by two dogs that size and powerful. I am furious with the owners who, imho, deserve the DP.

This is such a senseless and preventable death. In my family, there are many serious cyclist. My SIL considers it a power lunch when he cycles 10 miles around the big city and stops for a Smoothie before returning to his work as an architect. My priest and his buddies take ministry trips for hundreds of miles each summer.

Strap a can of mace to your bike. I keep a can of Raid in my car that sprays up to 15' which is much further than mace can go. Not sure Raid is legal to spray in someone's face but it can be washed out of their eyes.

Craig Sytsma's loss of life has brought tears. A Cane Corso is "noble, majestic, and powerful in presence". The Cane Corso is a muscular and large-boned breed that can weigh up to 120 pounds. They are also trained to be guard dogs. Sounds viscous to me.

Mr. Sytsma did not stand a chance against this beast of a dog. JSYK, my daughter has a gorgeous Great Pyrenees who weighs 120 pounds and thinks she is a lap dog. She possesses the most elegant bark. I can't imagine being attacked by two dogs that size and powerful. I am furious with the owners who, imho, deserve the DP.

My next door neighbor had a Cane Corso ...I discovered this one morning ....he actually ate a hole in our wood privacy fence. I walked out back ....and this MASSIVE head was looking at me.
Apparently, he had befriended my Doberman (they've both since passed) the next day there was a hole large enough they could go back and forth. I'm thankful he was super friendly and lovable. Because he scared the heck out of me that first day!

Sebastiano Quagliata, 46, and his wife, Valbona Lucaj, 45, will stand trial beginning Feb. 3 in Lapeer County Circuit Court. They face up to life in prison if convicted...

Prosecutors chose to charge the pair with second-degree murder — a rare prosecution in dog maulings — because the dogs had bitten at least two people leading up to the killing, and Lucaj had been warned by the family vet three months before that the dogs were dangerous and needed immediate training. And investigators say Quagliata admitted the day of the killing that the dogs routinely escaped from their kennel to run the neighborhood.

Under Michigan law, a defendant can be convicted of second-degree murder if he or she knowingly created a risk of great bodily harm or death, even if they didn't intend to kill or harm. The charge has sometimes been successfully used in prosecuting drunk drivers who killed somebody, but the use of it in a dog mauling case is unusual in Michigan.